Automatic railroad-crossing-gate mechanism.



PATENTED MAR. 17, 1903.

J.N.HYKB. AUTOMATIC RAILROAD CROSSING GATE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

Wtqesaes. a

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEREAD N. IIYKE, OF SHERMAN, NEW YORK.

AUTOM AT IC HAlLROAD-CROSSING-GATE MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 722,845, dated March 17, 1903.

Application filed September 16,1902. Serial No. 123,562 (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JEREAD N. HYKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sherman, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railroad-Crossing-Gate Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which-it apper tains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to automatic railroadcrossing gates, and has forits object the construction and arrangement of a safety-gate mechanism so that the wheels of a train as it approaches a crossing from either direction will engage mechanism operating to automatically close the safety-gates.

The features of my invention are hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top or planview of a section of railroad-track and a crossing embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side View in elevation of the same.

In the drawings, A is a section of a railroad-track, and a a the rails thereof, of usual construction.

B B are gate-posts at each side thereof and of a crossing, and O O, &c., are gates pivoted upon the gate-posts B B, &c., in the usual manner.

Under the posts B B and extending across under the track A to the opposite parts there are mounted shafts D D, and on the ends of said shafts there are cranks d d, from which links E E extend to and are pivoted to the rear ends 0 c of the gates C C, so that the oscillation of the shafts D D in one direction will close the gates C C and in the other direction will open them.

At each side of the crossing at any desired distance therefrom I pivot on the outside of the rails a bars F F in close proximity to the outside of the rail and with their outer ends f pivoted somewhat below the top of the rail 0., while their inner ends f f meet and rest upon a vertically-moving post H, provided with a spring I, which normally supports the inner ends of the bars F F some distance above the top of the rail a, so that the tread of the car-wheels as they pass over the bars F F from either direction will gradnally depress them as it moves from their outer to their inner ends, and as the wheel passes from their inner to their outer ends the bars F F will gradually return to their normal po sition. The support H rests upon and is sustained by a spring I and is provided with a rack-gear h, which engages a gear-wheel J, mounted on a shaft K. This shaft K is provided with a crank 70, The shaft D is provided with arms d and d and the shaft D with an arm (1 and from the cranks K links L extend to studs on the outer ends of the arms d", and the inner ends of the links L, which engage the arms (P, are provided with slots Z, as and for the purpose hereinafter set forth. From the stud on the arm d ron the shaft D a link M extends to a stud on the arm 01 on the shaft D, so that the shafts D and D will oscillate in unison.

It will be observed thatthe operating mechanism herein described is alike in construction and operation at both sides of the crossing. Hence the description above given sufficiently describes the same.

In operation when the wheels of a train coming toward the crossing from either direetion run upon the bars F F the bars are depressed at their inner ends, which serves to depress the post H, which inturn rotates the shaft K and swings the crank it around in the direction of the arrow, which draws the link L back and oscillates through the link M both of the shafts D D and operates therethrough to close the gates .0 O. The slot Z in the other link L allows the shafts to oscillate without moving the actuating mechanism at the other side of the crossing. After the train passes the crossing it engages the actuating mechanism at the opposite side of the crossing, which operates to again close the gates until the rear end of the train passes off of the same, when the weights on the ends 0 c on the gates C C operate to automatically open them.

I have thus shown and described convenient mechanism for utilizing my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination in an automatic railroad-crossing-gate mechanism, of gates pivoted to posts at opposite sides of the crossing, gate-operating shafts extending across and under the railroad-track from one gate-post to another, cranks on the ends of said shafts, links connecting the cranks with the gates, arms on said shafts, a link connecting the arms on said shafts at opposite sides of the shafts, bars along the railroad-rail at each side of the crossing so arranged that the tread of the car-wheel will engage and gradually depress them, vertically-movable posts actuated by said depressible bars, crank mechanism actuated thereby, and links having slots in one of the ends thereof connecting said crank mechanism with the arms on the gate-operating shafts, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination in an automatic railroad-crossing-gate mechanism of posts on opposite sides of the railroad and crossing, vertically-moving gates pivoted on said posts, shafts at each side of the crossing extending from the bases of the posts across the railroad-track, cranks on the ends of said shafts, links connecting said cranks with the rear portions of said gates, arms on said shafts, and links connecting said arms so that they will oscillate in unison, bars along one rail of the railroad-track pivoted at their outer ends slightly below the top of the rail and meeting at their inner ends, a yielding support under their inner ends normally supporting them above the level of the top of the rail so that as the tread of the wheels of a train moves over the track from their outer to their inner ends it will engage and gradually depress them, crank mechanism operated by said yielding support, and links having their inner ends slotted, connecting said cranks with the arms on said shaft, whereby the mechanism at either side of the crossing will operate the gates without operating the JEREAD N. HYKE.

Witnesses:

GEo. D. GIDDINGS, H. M. STURGEON. 

